


The More Things Change

by TheEyeofTheOncomingStorm



Series: The More Things Change [4]
Category: Primeval
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-25
Updated: 2015-03-25
Packaged: 2018-03-19 11:50:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3609060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEyeofTheOncomingStorm/pseuds/TheEyeofTheOncomingStorm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The ARC team gets a slightly different start in this universe. Things starts the same, then history starts to take a different course. AU, with a later canon crossover in the sequel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The More Things Change

_Central Metropolitan University Campus, 2007_

Madge left another college lecture, which she had spent more time paying more attention to the other students than the teacher. The only other lecture she had that day was evolutionary zoology later that morning, then she was home free.

She sat in the middle of the plaza and was working on her laptop, when she got an email from a friend. It contained a link to a newspaper article about a hoax. As she read the article, she became more and more intrigued. It was sounding less like a hoax, and more like an actual animal attack, but not an animal attack like anybody had seen before.

She looked to see if there was enough time to catch Professor Cutter before he gave his lecture. _Barely_ , she thought, and hastily put away her laptop, and raced across the campus.

Professor Cutter was walking back to his lab with his lab technician Connor Temple. Madge ran faster to catch up with them.

"Professor Cutter!" She shouted.

Cutter paused and turned around. "You're a little early for the lecture, Miss Francis." He kept walking toward his lab.

"I know. But I wanted to show you something." She said, and fell in step behind the them. When they reached the lab, Madge got out her laptop and brought up the news article.

"I wanted you to see… this." She handed him the laptop around so that he could read the headline.

"An internet hoax?" Cutter said. Connor came over and took the laptop from Cutter and started reading the article for himself.

"I think there might be something to it." Madge continued. "You're the one who's always saying that you're interested in the pieces that don't fit. Well, this is a piece that doesn't fit."

"I know that there are things we can't always explain." Cutter said. "But I just don't think that there's a monster out there that goes around attacking people."

"It attacked a truck." Madge said. "It hasn't attacked anybody yet."

"If there is something out there, the police will find it." Cutter said.

"But they would know what to look for. They're looking for a person, not a creature."

"If there's something out there," Cutter repeated. "The police will find it."

Madge seemed to accept this. "Yeah, you're probably right, Professor."

Cutter nodded. "Good. I'll see you at the lecture, Madge."

Madge took her laptop back from Connor and left.

After a few minutes Connor spoke up. "Do you think that there really is something out there?"

"Frankly I doubt it." Cutter said. "But there's more to this planet than meet the eye. There could be something about to it. If there is, I'm sure we'll read about it." Cutter paused, then asked, "Why?"

Connor shook his head. "No reason, just… the attack took place near the forest of dean."

Cutter froze. "The Forest of Dean?" he asked.

Connor checked the clock. "If we hurry, we could get there by half noon."

* * *

_The Forest of Dean  
_

Cutter and Connor were looking at the truck that had supposedly been attacked.

"It's definitely something." Cutter said. Connor went around to the other side of the truck.

"Cutter," he said. "You need to see this."

Cutter followed him and saw what he was looking at. "Now what kind of creature could do that?"

"Only one way to find out, Professor."

They turned and looked into the quiet forest.

* * *

_Elsewhere in the Forest of Dean_

Madge was walking through the forest, looking for clues. She didn't agree with Cutter when he'd said that there probably wasn't anything, and decided to come take a look for herself. And so had her friend.

"Madge!" He called. "Madge, I can't keep up with you. My allergies are acting up."

"We're not in a hurry." She told him. "Don't you have allergy medication or something?"

"I already took it. I don't think it's working. I have to go back."

"Okay them. I'll drop by later."

"You're not coming with me?"

"I need to know if there's something out here. I'll catch up."

"Well be careful." He turned around and started back on his own.

"I will." Madge kept walking for a long time. She could find nothing that proved that this "animal attack" was nothing more than a hoax.

 _I guess Cutter was right._ Madge thought, and decided to head back. She looked around, and realized that she was lost.

"Oh, great." She said aloud. She tried to take a moment to get her bearings. An owl hooted and she jump. She took a deep breath to calm down.

"It's okay, Maggie Jo. It's just an owl. You're not in the beginning of a horror film." Madge started walking back the way she thought she came. A dark object up in a tree caught her attention. She froze monetarily. Upon realizing that it wasn't moving, she walked closer to look at it.

It was a cow. A dead cow. Something stowed away a whole cow in a tree for later.

Madge started running away. She didn't care where she went as long as she could get out of the forest. Because whatever had killed that cow was probably still there. But Madge didn't see the creature in the forest ahead of her, until she came right up against it.


End file.
